Plymouth Church is pleased to announce that internationally renowned composer and keyboard virtuoso Dr. Mikhail Johnson will serve as Organist in Residence beginning Sunday, June 25, 2023. In this role, Dr. Johnson will continue to lead profound worship experiences for Plymouth Church. Dr. Johnson's seven-week residency will culminate in a recital immediately following the service on Sunday, August 6.
He reflects, “A Residency of any kind is a creator’s space to explore, learn, experiment and shape the very things that mean the most to them: their art. In the context of this residency, I am for a time, a steward of music to this church. I assist in elevating the worship experience, bringing joy, solace, healing, exuberant praise, and essentially the church’s congregation a little closer to that foretaste of glory divine, through music. Many thanks to The Reverend Dr. Kelle J. Brown and Mr. Joe Williams for the opportunity to present musical offerings in this capacity to God and to God's congregation at Plymouth Church.”
Mikhail Johnson (1989-), born in the rural hills of Maroon Town in the parish of St. James, Jamaica, is one of the country’s most promising pianists and composers. He was winner of the Jamaica Symphony Orchestra Concerto Competition for Young Musicians Senior Division in 2009, and in the same year, won the piano section of the Jamaica Music Teachers' Association Music Competition. He has won numerous gold medals and national awards in the Jamaica Cultural Development Commission (JCDC) Festival of the Performing Arts, and he was also a finalist in the 2017 American Prize Music Competition for Piano (collegiate division). In 2021 he was two-time First Prize winner of the Charleston International Music Competition and the first Jamaican to enter the competition.
As a composer Johnson's compositional style merges traditional European classical music and the avant-garde with traditional Jamaican cultural idiosyncrasies. His compositional output is being published on his publishing label Johno Muzik, and comprises of: sacred and patriotic choral works, African American Spiritual arrangements, song cycles and instrumental works. Johnson's many commissions from universities and music organizations, and his wins and finalist placements in several competitions and score calls, has resulted in his works being performed by several ensembles. This includes: The Cleveland Chamber Symphony, The Cantus Ensemble of London, The North/South Consonance Ensemble, The Concordia Ensemble of the University of Notre Dame, the Departure Duo and Transient Canvas.
Johnson has also been invited as chief adjudicator for several international music competitions in the categories of piano and composition.
Johnson holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Biological Science and a minor in music from Northern Caribbean University; Double Masters of Music degree in piano performance and composition from Bowling Green State University, and a Doctor of Music in piano performance from Texas Tech University.
(Photo credit: Adolfo Estrada)